Personal Injury
“Personal injury” is a very broad term that relates to any injury (physical, emotional or economic) caused by the carelessness or recklessness of another individual or company. Personal injury may include the following:
- Injuries caused by a car collision
- Injuries caused by a plane or train crash
- Injuries caused by a faulty product
- Injuries caused by a property own who fails to eliminate or provide a warning about a dangerous condition on their property
- Injuries caused by dog
- Injuries caused by a fraternity or sorority hazing
If you have suffered a personal injury, you may be entitled to compensation for your injury. Legal responsibility, called “liability,” revolves around the simple fact that most injuries happen because someone was careless or “negligent.” Even if you believe you may have partly caused your own injury, you can still get some compensation from the careless party who was also partly responsible for your injury claim.
If you suspect you may have a legal claim, you should contact our office for an evaluation of your case. anyone can settle a personal injury claim along with a death claim for a fraction of its real value. Big settlements and big verdicts do not come easily, no matter how serious the injury might be and no matter how wrong the other party may be. The burden is on the injured person to prove every dollar he or she claims. In personal injury law, you get what are able to negotiate. The strength of your negotiations is in direct proportion to your ability to win at trial. We work hard to prepare each case as if it is going to trial and successful in negotiating big settlements for our clients. We deal with the insurance company for you in order to maximize your recovery.
What To Do If You Are In An Automobile Collision
You may have to prove to an insurance company or to a jury what has occurred in an automobile collision. Therefore, evidence must be preserved in a timely and accurate manner by dealing with the following:
- If possible, obtain the license plate number of any vehicle that tries to leave the scene
- Call the police immediately so that the collision is thoroughly investigated and a record is made of what has occurred
- Make sure the policeman gives you an opportunity to fully explain your version as to what has occurred in the collision. If you have not been given ample opportunity to explain your position, go to the police station and indicate what has occurred to another officer and make a supplemental report
- Take photographs or have photographs taken by someone else of all the property damage in order to prove the damage to your vehicle and the nature of the impact. Photographs should be taken of all vehicles involved in the collision and of the scene if there is important or relevant information at the scene such as skid marks, damage to a tree or utility pole, etc.
- Also, photographs should be taken of any and all physical injuries that have been sustained.
- Immediately report the collision to your insurance agent. Your insurance company is entitled to be given prompt notice and not giving them prompt notice may prejudice your rights under your policy
- If you are hurt immediately obtain medical attention at an emergency room, urgent care or at a physician’s office.
- Do not give a written or recorded statement to an insurance company, including your own, without consulting an attorney. You may be adversely with your own insurance company if you make a claim for uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage. It may be that the person at fault does not have insurance or is underinsured and thus you will have to access your own underinsured motorist coverage.
- At the scene of the collision, obtain the names, addresses and telephone numbers of all eye witnesses who may be helpful to your position.
There are times when fault is not clear. Sometimes the attorney will hire an accident reconstruction expert. This is an expert who can look at the physical cause and draw certain conclusions such as estimated speed of the vehicles. His conclusions may ultimately help in determining who was at fault. All of us have extensive experience in working with individuals injured as a result automobile collisions and providing them maximum recovery. Our attorneys are experienced in cases like your and can tell you at the outset whether it is worthwhile to pursue legal action. If you are unlikely to prevail, your attorney will tell you so and you will not need to incur the time and expense of pursuing an unpromising claim.